Representative Dan Rayfield (D-Corvallis) has introduced HB 2681, which reads “Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, the registration of an elector may not be considered inactive due to an elector not voting or updating the elector’s registration for any period of time.”

This will degrade our election voter rolls and list maintenance from this year and every year going forward it will get worse.

The directive in this bill is contrary to the advice from the US Election Assistance Committee, which says, “The National Voter Registration Act allows states to remove voters who have not voted in two consecutive federal general elections and failed to respond to a confirmation notice from an elections office. Other reasons for removal include death, felony conviction, having moved from one jurisdiction to another, mental incompetence, or at the voter’s request.”

Voter list maintenance increases the veracity of the voting rolls, giving voters greater access to the ballot by not letting someone else get the voters ballot. The voter gets the right ballot for their district, it reduces the number of provisional ballots, allows for better planning of the election and improves the voter experience. It also saves the taxpayer money.

The National Voter Registration Act -- commonly referred to as the “motor voter” law because it contained provisions about voter registration at local DMV offices -- provides guidance for when a state may remove the name of a voter from a list. Oregon allows 10 years of inactivity before removing an inactive voter currently. The NVRA only suggests 4 years and then removal. This bill would even remove the 10 year safeguard.

People registered at local colleges and universities would never have their voter record updated from the dorms. Apartment dwellers and others would have numerous ballots delivered to them from the previous residents from this time forward, every election. People often do not notify the Elections Division of their move out of state. New people at that address do not always notify the Elections Division that the person is no longer living there.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Some states do a cross state voter check, to compare voters from state to state. They also employ various agency lists to find accurate information on name changes, deaths, felon charges, and changed addresses. HB 2681 will increase costs of elections by sending ballots to addresses that are no longer accurate for that voter. This bill will facilitate voter fraud opportunity. It will cost the taxpayer a lot of money in wasted printing, paper and postage.

Accurate voter lists improve the election process for everyone: the voter, the election workers and the candidates. HB 2681 will degrade our election process,

The bill is scheduled for a hearing in the House Rules Committee on Tuesday, March 30 at 1:00pm for a hearing and possible work session.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-03-25 10:08:58

Last Update: 2021-03-25 01:24:40